The countdown to the Wired4Women Awards gala event has begun. The winners ā across 13 categories, including the coveted CISO of the Year ā will be revealed on 16 April.
The Wired4Women Awards, presented by ITWeb Brainstorm in partnership the Wired4Women Tech Forum with Telkom as lead sponsor, are now in their third year and recognise excellence across 13 categories, from C-suite executives to emerging talent.
The CISO of the Year Award, sponsored by BCX, honours an exceptional chief information security officer who has demonstrated leadership in protecting organisational assets, strengthening cyber resilience and navigating an increasingly complex threat landscape, according to the organisers.
The finalists selected for the 2026 edition reflect the impact of female tech leaders across the public sector, financial services, manufacturing and mining industries. They are.
- Celia Mantshiyane, group CISO, FirstRand
- Ritasha Kalidas, head of cyber security, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa
- Siphokazi Novukuza, cyber security director, Department of Communications and Digital Technologies
- Thoriso Mashaba, governance and IT security lead, Exxaro
- Xolile Sibande, senior manager: information and cyber security, Auditor-General South Africa
Last year, the award was won by Sithembile Songo, head of security at Eskom, for excelling in safeguarding organisational assets and driving a security-first culture amid challenges like load-shedding.
The Wired4Women Awards programme receives hundreds of nominations annually across all 13 categories, with the finalists shortlisted after a multi-stage adjudication process. The large number of nominations in the CISO category, and the calibre of the finalists, reflect the growing importance of cyber security leadership. CISOs play an increasingly strategic part in managing risk, with responsibilities evolving beyond technical oversight to board-level influence.
The judging panel includes Wired4Women Tech Forum chair Nomonde White-Ndlovu, CIO: group compliance at Absa; board member Jeniffer Ramnath; Leonie McManus, regional director, South & East Africa at Forrester; and Adrian Hinchliffe, group editor-in-chief at ITWeb.
The next phase in the judging process includes interviews with the finalists and the selection of the winner. The winner will be announced at the Wired4Women Awards gala ceremony on 16 April at the Four Seasons Hotel, The Westcliff in Johannesburg.
Share
